I took my H18 to PCB, FL for a week of sailing fun and when I pulled sails from the sail bag, the clew plates on both the jib and main fell off! The rivets had corroded away between the plates. Now what???
With some coaxing, I managed to use needle nose pliers to grab and twist the stub of each rivet to free it from the plate and then push it through. Once I had all of the rivets out of both plates, I ran to Lowes, plates in hand, and bought #6-32 x 3/8" Stainless Pan-Head Screws (Item 409487) and #6 Stainless Nylon Insert Lock Nuts (Item 409469). The #6's passed right through the rivet hole and the Nylon nuts snugged nicely, allowing me to avoid flats and lock washers. #8's would have required drilling the rivet hole to a slightly larger size, but the #6's were perfect. 3/8" long is the perfect length too, as there was just enough screw to engage the nylon. I plan to just leave it this way... unless there is a reason to go back with rivets?
I share this to encourage you to buy and keep the above screws and lock nuts in your trailer box. I had no idea the clew plates could fall off like that and my blind hole rivets would have looked ugly sticking out of one side of the clew plate. The stainless screws and lock nuts look pretty good and held tight.
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Tim Young
Hobie 18' + other stuff that floats and goes.
Kentucky
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H18 Clew Plate Failure & Repair
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Posted: Oct 09, 2017 - 06:32 PM
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Posted: Oct 09, 2017 - 10:27 PM
Yes, I’ve done the same repair on clew plates (I think I may have used #8 screws but otherwise the same). The only thing you need to watch out for with stainless screws is that they will galvanically corrode the aluminum plates over time if you sail in salt water. A coating of tef-gel on the stainless hardware will help to prevent this.
The other thing to watch out for on H18 clew plates is that over time, the clevis pin for the clew can wear through the clew plate on the sail, causing it to pull out. So if the hole is worn significantly, you may want to replace the plate. Also, sometimes Hobie only punched out the sail cloth for the center hole even if a three or five hole clew plate was installed. This means that if the center hole tears out, you won’t be able to pin the boom in one of the other holes. So at the very least, make sure at least two holes in your clew plate are punched out.
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Posted: Oct 10, 2017 - 06:43 AM
I am always amazed at folks who are so unaware that all things, including themselves, require routine inspection and maintenance of critical and non-critical parts and functions. So, get out there and give your boat the once over and repair those items that require attention. It a much better feeling not missing a day sailing, being adrift or being in the water due to one's lack of attention. Timescottyoung, spend some minor cash; buy proper jib clew plates and aluminum rivets ($12) and do the job 'right.' https://www.saltydogmarine.com/product_info.php?products_id=2297. -
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Posted: Oct 10, 2017 - 08:59 AM
Try washing your sails every now and then -
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Posted: Oct 10, 2017 - 11:16 AM
how old are your sails?
i agree washing your gear (with soap and sponge, not just a rinse) can greatly extend the life of all gear, and offset rust and salt issues- but it's still gonna happen - if you ever sailed in saltwater - you are rusting somewhere.
I suffered from an elongated clew hole on my h18
of course i discovered this issue when my quick pin popped out (and sunk)
and i lost my main about 40' downwind from a small bridge that powerboats can get under (but nothing over 15')
I did what any good captain would do - i freaked out and yelled at my crew (who luckily kept his cool) and found a way to secure the main back to the boom JUST in time for us to avoid collision/demasting.
I learned that lesson - don't use quickpins in critical areas, -
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Posted: Oct 10, 2017 - 03:24 PM
Wow, a little harsh I should think. Stuff wears out, stuff corrodes, folks don't always have the time to perform regular full inspections of every part on their boat and they might not have the tools on hand to replace things like the solid rivets used on sail fittings.
From a strength stanpoint, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the repair that the OP did. It will hold up fine. I've done the same repairs on clew plates and batten luff protectors, using screws and nuts instead of solid rivets. Like I said, you just might want to put a little anti-corrosion paste on the stainless screws so the aluminum is protected. Or another option would be to change to aluminum screws and nuts.
The only real downside to using a machine screw and nut vs. a solid rivet is that cosmetically it doesn't look as nice. Functionally, a screw and nut is actually better because it allows you to easily replace the fasteners or the entire clew plate with standard hand tools (on the beach if needed).
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Posted: Oct 11, 2017 - 01:04 AM
I agree. The sail loft repaired both my 5.7 & H18 luff protectors using small brass screws/nuts vs rivets. In fact the new luff protectors have small hexagonal divots to hold the nuts flush.
I would use some loctite on during assembly.
https://www.murrays.com/product/01-1001/
Edited by Edchris177 on Oct 11, 2017 - 01:11 AM.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
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Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
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Posted: Oct 13, 2017 - 05:38 PM
Yup. Try to keep a minimum of threads (like none) coming out from the nylock nut. The threads will catch on lines and bungees, and scratch up your mast.
Edited by klozhald on Oct 13, 2017 - 04:39 PM.
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Sheet In!
Bob
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Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
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